The Players Championship has undergone much change since its first edition in 1974.
Among these changes are the host venues. Although the tournament has an established home in 2025, this has not always been the case.
When The Players was called the Tournament Players Championship 50 years ago, the event was played at Atlanta Country Club in Georgia.
It shifted to Colonial Country Club in Texas in 1975 and then Inverrary Country Club in Florida in 1976. And then the word ‘Sawgrass’ entered the fray of this PGA Tour event that was gathering status and momentum.
Sawgrass Country Club in Florida hosted the event between 1977 and 1981. During this period, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Raymond Floyd all got their hands around the trophy.
But by the time Jerry Pate won the Tournament Players Championship in 1982, the event had made its final move to the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass which was designed by Pete Dye and inspired by the dream of tour commissioner Deane Beman.
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The iconic venue where The Players Championship is played…
The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass at Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida was controversial to begin with but, as alterations were made to the golf course over the following years, it developed into one of the most iconic venues in the world of golf.
The greens were compared to car bonnets and when Pate won the first Players at the Stadium Course, icons such as Fuzzy Zoeller and Tom Watson added fuel to the fire of criticism.
The tournament became known as The Players Championship in 1988 when Mark McCumber claimed victory and the golf course and the challenges it presented were becoming more and more recognised by golf fans.
It is a venue that is revered as one of the toughest closing stretches on the PGA Tour with the par-5 16th, the par-3 17th hole and the par-4 18th hole. There is water abound and jeopardy everywhere across this trio of holes.
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The 17th hole with an island green is probably the most famous in the sport. Despite regularly being a 9- or an 8-iron, the green is in the middle of a lake which has swallowed many thousands of golf balls over the years.
The 18th hole is also hugely intimidating. With water all the way down the left of the hole and up to the green, it is vitally important to find the fairway but also not to cut the corner off the subtle dogleg.
Many of the greatest players in recent times have won the Players at the Stadium Course such as Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Adam Scott, Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson, Nick Price, Greg Norman and Justin Thomas.
The complex also serves as the headquarters of the PGA Tour. You can read about how it was built right here.
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